Oral suspensions of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid are commonly used for the treatment of infections in pediatric or elderly adult patients who may be unable to swallow tablets.
A problem with such oral suspension is a decrease in the chemical stability of the active ingredients, especially clavulanic acid or its salts such as potassium clavulanate. Potassium clavulanate is prone to degradation in water, particularly at higher temperatures. Accordingly, such oral suspensions are typically first provided as a dry powder which is reconstituted with water prior to treatment. Even then, the reconstituted suspension must be refrigerated for storage and used within about 10 days. Due to this instability and significant decrease in assay during this in-use period, excess amounts (or overages) of the active ingredients are required in the oral suspension in order to maintain an adequate assay of the active ingredients during the period of use. Even still, the instability of the active ingredients results in unequal dosing of the active ingredients over the course of treatment.
Moreover, oral suspension must still be refrigerated for storage, leading to more inconvenience and a loss of portability of the formulation. This in turn may lead to a decrease in patient compliance to finish the course of treatment.
Accordingly what is needed is an alternative or improved dosage form to oral suspension comprising amoxicillin and clavulanic acid. Such formulation should preferably provide improved chemical stability (especially in-use stability) of the active ingredients, accurate dosing of the active ingredients, convenient storage without the need for refrigeration, and patient friendly taste and feel.